This Arabic treatise on magical and astrological medicine is divided into five chapters (babs). It is preserved today in several copies, indicating that it had considerably popularity.

The Andalusian author Ibn Tūmart (d. 1001/391) is not to be confused with a writer on theology and law of nearly the same name, also from Spain and active in North Africa, who died in 1130/524; for the latter, see GAL, vol. 1, pp. 400-401 (506-7).

Illustrations

MS A 87, fol. 100b

The opening page of a magical-medical treatise by Ibn Tūmart (d. 1001/391) titled Kitāb Kanz al-‘ulūm wa-al-durr al-manzūm fī ḥaqā’iq ‘ilm al-sharī‘ah wa-daqā’iq ‘ilm al-ṭabī‘ah (Treasure of Knowledge and Orderly Pearls on the True Meaning of Revealed Knowledge and the Intricacies of Natural Science). A shorter form of the title, al-Durr al-manzūm can be seen in the rubricated heading at the top of the folio, where the author is also named. The copy is undated, but the general appearance of the paper, ink, and script suggests a date of the 18th century.

Physical Description

Arabic. 22 leaves (fols. 100b-121a). Dimensions 23.2 x 15.8 (text area 17.5 x 12) cm; 24-6 lines per page. Title given in full in the text on fol. 101a, line 19-20); a shortened form (al-durr al-manzum) occurs in the heading on fol. 100b, where the author is named as Ibn Tūmart. Sommer identified this Ibn Tumart with the authority in jurisprudence Muḥammad ibn Tūmart al-Maghribī, who died in 1130/524 (Schullian/Sommer, Cat. of incun. & MSS, p. 327).

The copy is undated. The general appearance of the paper, ink, and script suggests a date of the 18th century.

A complete copy. The first chapter (bab) begins on fol. 101b, line 4, the second at the bottom of fol. 106a, the third on fol. 111b, line 17, the fourth on fol. 115a, line 15, and the fifth on fol. 117b, line 16.

The text is written is a fairly inelegant, medium-small, crowded naskh script using black ink with headings in red. The text area is not frame-ruled. The hand is similar to that of the preceding item, but larger (MS A 87, item 8). There are catchwords.

There are some marginalia, often marked with the emphatic za' or the emphatic ta'.

The ivory paper is thick and stiff, with visible vertical laid lines and single chain lines (no evident watermarks). It is dampstained and soiled through thumbing.

Binding

The volume is bound in pasteboards covered with brown leather, over which light-brown paper has been placed on the covers. There is a recent brown leather spine. The paper pastedowns are contemporary with the manuscript and are covered with miscellaneous notes.

Provenance

There is an owner's signature dated 1268 [= 1851-2] on fol. 3b of the volume, and there are several owners' notes on fol. 4a, none apparently dated.

The volume was purchased in 1941 by the Army Medical Library from A.S. Yahuda, who acquired it from a dealer in Sanaa, the Yemen (ELS 2369).